Ireland: Singer turns ignoring finances into an art

Bonos mate Gavin Friday refuses to be motivated by cash, but if the rocker ever struck it rich he would splash out on a Picasso, writes Fiona McGoran

MANY people know Gavin Friday as the founder of the Virgin Prunes and one of Bono’s best mates. However, the 46-year-old rocker is also a highly accomplished artist and actor.

Born in Dublin in 1959, Friday left a Christian Brothers education to found the Virgin Prunes at 18. The band’s uncompromising body of work ensured a dedicated fan base in Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe.

In 1986, Friday briefly abandoned the band to paint, an act that culminated two years later in the 1988 exhibition, I Didn’t Come up the Liffey in a Bubble, at Dublin’s Hendricks Gallery.

In 1987, he returned to the stage, acting as master of ceremonies in his own weekly cabaret, Blue Jaysus. The gig, with its burlesque songs featured alongside comedy and drag acts, was a hit. It wasn’t long before Friday and the resident pianist, Maurice Seezer, were signed to Island Records.